So Who Will Villa Sign? - Part 10!

Getting a bit depressing all this talk and not being able to update the threads with new players. Lets hope by the 10th the 'in' column will exceed the 'out'! We need at least one big name to put down a marker for the season surely?

Anyway, here continues the rumours thread on the front page. See a story linking us with a player? Share it with us all. Heard a tenuous link, or seen a player around Villa Park? Let us know! Oh, and although I'll do my best to announce incoming players as soon as possible, if you hear of a signing before I do, wang it on this thread as well.

The January thread ended up with nearly 2000 article comments, spaced over several articles. This summer one so far has over 3500 comments!

Dean you really are down in the dumps mate. I think the problem mainy lies with the agents and not O'neil. Also perhaps he should leave the negotiations to the lawyers and business people. I'm concerned this will get us sidetracked from a tough start (fixture wise) to the season. We must secure the services of a rb and another player asap - but that may mean "Harewood" quality.

Its a simple formula when it comes to transfers. If your a club with cash to spend and you want a quality player from a club that doesnt want to sell him you pay 2 or 3 times over the odds....Its as simple as that nowadays.........Get your cash out MON, stop whining over a few mill and buy us a right back and centre back! (plus a new midfielder if Petrov cannot be arsed to try)

I agree dubs its amasing how other clubs have manged to get clubs to sell there decent players yet we cannot seem to trade
Had we identified any targets
Do we have a scouting system other than looking for kids.

You would have thought that Villa would be able to outbid Spurs for Curtis Davies. Villa's lack of spending coupled with Spurs' £40 million spending should mean that you have that extra bit of funds. Would be delighted if we got him, especially with Dawson and King injured.

I think Ian Storey-Moore has been off on beach holidays all winter. I would love to see what scouting reports have been produced because we are yet to see one player from the continent this summer. We should also have been looking at South America but don't seem to have done so.

Unless MON has some complete and total surprise up his sleeve, I don't see us bringing in any more players. All the good players who were up for sale have moved. Villa MIGHT bring in some depth...but no more significant, difference-making players. Face it.

We are up the Swanee without a paddle at the moment and it is unlikely to get better before the transfer window closes. As Scot Dutch points out all the top class players have moved. Where is MON's promised quality players. If we have a couple of injuries among our current defenders we will lose Barry from midfield and we will be stuffed. This is not the way to run a Premiership team; I would not run a park team like this. I am so disappointed.

If MON could go back in time 2 months and start again, he would be a fool to do the same. Big Club, big mistakes, small signings (although one with a big head .)
Talk is cheap. Is there no-one out there who is on the same wavelength as MON who wants to win things and fight for their place.
The worst problem is the poor wage structure. People could earn twice as much playing for Wesd Haaam. It doesn't matter that their manager is lame and has no Euro experience or success.
SHAMBLES unless we get 4 players worth 8Mill each at the very very least.

i cant help but think back at all of the hype coming out of the club was the same time season tickets were going on sale, we have been here before - many times, and they will feel our wrath if that turns out to be the case.

The whole thing is a joke and MON is to blame he has been put in charge of OUR team its not MON Villa its Aston Villa. Question him we have every right to. He has made mistakes simple. We should not be in this position.

news now reporting we are close to making a 6 mil bid for Bosingwa. A couple of questions here for me....why is the bid not already going through the frickin fax machine ......and why bid 6 mil if Porto say they are looking for 10. Stop wasting time and shore up this squad.

Hmm ok I am so glad that is all you have got to worry about. I am much more interested in why this thread is so quiet. Where are all the "trust Martin" MON knows what he is doing" MON is the man" They are very quiet. Are you all starting to doubt him??

Only Curtis Davies from WBA looks a realistic option to me right now, but with Spurs getting another spanking as I write, no doubt Martin Jol will have his cheque book out in the next day or so to remedy his defensive problems, by paying West Brom's asking price for the central defender, leaving us high and dry once again. Get with it Martin, or this inactivity is going to present us with another wasted season. Also rans once again.

I really hope I'm wrong but I cannot see anyone else coming in. This has been one of the most frustrating summers I have experienced. I believe MON has the money, as the board have upheld most if not all of their promises. However, it appears that he doesn't want to spend that money. Now the market has gone crazy this summer, I think we all acknowledge that (Kenwyne Jones £5m bid from Derby rejected) but we must pay the asking price if we want the player. If we do struggle this season and with the current squad this will happen, then MON must be held accountable. MON must sort this out now, I am beginning to feel that maybe the job is too big for him. I hope I'm wrong, as I think he is a genuine and honest man.

When they find the right players at the right prices, they will come. Patience is the key, however like everyone I am getting a bit surprised at the lack of new arrivals. I think it maybe because we wont pay 80k per week why players dont come. Things are still better than this time last season, I still wish Mon would pick the team on merit and not keep using Petrov after a couple of bad games.

£6.8million for Mido... the fees have spiralled out of control, will MON have the balls to overpay (he has done with Young and Petrov) so there is still hope, I still expect 3 new faces by 31st.(They may not be who WE want)

Good luck with whatever you do in the future, Mark! You'll always be Villa through and through in my eyes. You never let us down and, from the lack of transfers in the RB department, you are going to be hard to replace.

PAY THE MONEY MARTIN. YOU DON'T DICTATE THE PRICES, THE MARKET DOES. Randy understands. But he won't accept many more inept performances like the Liverpool one. And don't even mention Inter Milan to me. Bloody friendlies..

well just over two weeks till the transfer window shuts, and we will all be put out of our misery.... and it is a bit of a misery at the moment isn't it. What we must remember is that whetever happens we need to get behind the team - whoever is in it!!! UTV

Totally agree splatt, roll on the 1st September, not because I'm going to Spain for 2 weeks but to end this nightmare of a summer! God knows how much time I've spent searching websites looking for transfer gossip and hope!

You don't think we'll beat Fulham at home then?! Don't be stupid! FFS I'm down as well but we still have a better starting 11 then we did last season, so why can't we go on a unbeaten run? The strength in depth will come.

I very much hope that you're not right 'notthedougellisstand', although I somehow suspect that you might be. With MON's reluctance to pay the asking price, you have to think that stalemates will be the unlikely outcome. A worrying thought, and that doesn't bode well for our season.

In MON we trust, a better first 11 without a RB, don't be stupid. How can the team be better when it is virtually the same as last season ? We have added a GK who may be better than Sorensen but lets just wait and see and a midfielder. We still haven't got a RB ? Does this sound like an improved team ?

You're telling me Gardners performance on Saturday wasn't better than Bardsley's?!!! Carson is better than Sorenson and Gardner (even though he is not a right back is better than Bardsley!) Also reo is better than McCann? That to me is a better team!

Gardner looked better on Saturday because he was playing against Riise who isn't a natural wide player. I think everyone would admit that Gardner had a good game but he isn't a RB. I'm not so sure that Carson is better than Sorenson. They have both been prone to some big errors in the past so the jury is out on that one. Reo-Coker is better than McCann but to say we have a better starting 11 than the end of last season is debatable.

Fact 1: The best marketing for season tickets ever. Fact 2. The most highly hyped end of season last season that we have ever seen. Fact 3. The most ambitious words from the club for many a year. Fact 4. The biggest exodus of players in a Summer for many a year. Fact 5. Action has not met the 'promise'. Fact 6. More frustration now than under Doug. Clubs are built with planning and positive action, not hype and timidity. What are seeing now ain't what was promised.

Think not HuntysVilla. Yes he always spoke of jam today but the level of build up we have had this year is nothing compared to the weasley words of Doug. Or perhaps the difference is that I had more belief this year. To date this Summer we have had great promise - very limited action.

GLB what's your solution then? Baggies want 6m pls Moore for Davies, Porto at least 10m for Boswinga? Please tell me the solution to this. Fact 6. We are one game into a season and we beaten by a top 4 club.

notthedougellisstand - IMO I don't think it's debatable, If the Premiership was run under the Boxing Commission's rules, Aston Villa would be ineligible to play because they would be judged unfit to go the "distance"! Our squad size is a joke and the longer this charade goes on, the more that respect for our Club will diminuish.

tarzan - simple, he's got no option but to pay the asking price if he really wants them. Quibbling about another £4 or £5mill for both players within the context of a £500mill + 5 year plan is why we never got anywhere with Ellis. The time to quibble is when players are lining up to join us be eligible to play in Europe every year. Until we're at that level we have no option but to buy ourselves into the market, like it or not!

GLB why dont you still have belief the first 4 points you make "Fact 1: The best marketing for season tickets ever. Fact 2. The most highly hyped end of season last season that we have ever seen. Fact 3. The most ambitious words from the club for many a year. Fact 4. The biggest exodus of players in a Summer for many a year." All are positives they say that for the first time the club is being run by a professional outfit, just look at the holte Hotel, the training ground, the exodus of players cuz if they really wanted to stay do you really think they would have left? I like you would have loved to have seen big named 20 goal a season players banging on the door, but reality says that aint going to happen until we earn our stripes. I like you scour the web looking for players who sound like they could be potential targets for a villa shirt, but £10M for curtis davies aint good business, and I can see the difficulty MON is having, we got through last season with three signings sorry 2.1/2 with petrov and i still believe we will see more, possibly not enough to satisfy all, on this site but hey for those with severe depression there is always prozac. One last positive we are only 1 point behind man u, how goods that.

villacross, good point but if the players dont want to come to VP even if you offer the money what do you do then, you see i dont buy this quibbling on price business ie Ashley young last jan, it aint that simple.

ONeill is slowly but surely getting rid of the ****** mediocre players we have had in the past. Every player he buys is either better or has the potential to be better than the one they have replaced. Sorenson is a great example. A good keeper but makes too many errors and cannot be relied on in big games and has never gelled with our defenders. Funny how after ONeill has bought in Carson (A young keeper with everything to prove and happy to go to lesser clubs than Liverpool) Sorenson starts bleating about a new deal and now wants clear the air talks. I have had my fill of these type of players and I am happy to trust ONeill to bring in players with the right quality and attitude to do well. He always leaves it late to buy his players you only have to look at his previous buys.

We definitely know they want £6m and Moore do we Tarzan. Lets be honest none of us are sure what any team wants for a player. Watford have today said they want £60m for Marlon King cos thats what it will cost if they don't get into the Premiership without him. Now I'm almost certain that if a club offered £6-7m for King they would get him because the Watford board would accept it. I believe £8m up front would get us Davies and a similar figure would get us Boswinga but ultimately I'm summising as are we all. The main issue now is the fact that clubs know that we are desperate for players so this will put the price up. Thats why I don't understand this wait till the last moment philosophy. It worked in January with Maloney but that was only because his contract ran out this summer. The optimists on this site need to accept that mistakes have certainly been made this summer and MON is accountable. Before you all criticise me, I'm not saying he should be sacked but maybe the club needs to consider changes as to who deals with transfers.

notthedougellisstand, you are right none of us are sure what any team wants for a player, so how can you be certain watford would accept £7 for king, so how can you believe that the baggies would accept £8M+ for davies, oh but you then said you are "summising as we all are", how do you know that villa have not offered more, if in davies this wait until last minute philosophy is true, how come he has'nt been bought up yet by another team, dont knock the optimists because the pessimists are only summising, we have still got 2 weeks until the close of the transfer window, then lets see if mistakes have been made.

What mistakes have been made then? Getting rid of Hendrie,Samuel,Ridgewell,Angel,Djemba-Djemba who never played and were not good enough or Sutton and now Delaney because they were crocked? Who do you expect us to buy and how much do you expect us to spend then? All our targets will have to accept no european football and also alot less than the £60k a week that West Ham are paying so it aint going to be easy. I actually think the signings of Young,NRC and Carson show what type of player he is looking for. I fully expect Davies to sign for us providing WBA drop their stupid £9m valuation.

Why is everyone just focussing on high value players? What about those in the lower divisions that could hack it in the Premiership? Look at the past Delaney £.5m, Platt £200,000, Atkinson's main dealings one Summer when he transformed the club for not a lot of cash. Harry Redknapp seems to be able to source players for not too much and get them to an unfashionable club. Big am did it for several years at Bolton too. Reading has been built for not a lot. Surely there are some lower league players that would respond to good coaching and the chance to make the grade. MON talked in the past about some of the bargains he got at Leicester. Izzet for one. I expected imagination, not just cash, would be used.

we can summarise all we want. player inflation is through the roof and there is no point in guessing in who we want and how much it will be - one thing is for certian some one at villa park needs to move fast - i like many (or all of us) get paid at the end of the month. its about the only thing im looking forward to at the end of august!

HuntysVilla and all others - Man City were in a worse state than us and they have gone out and bought a team for an average of 4.5 Million pounds - and from what I saw they look the business. If they could do it why, when we had the whole of last season and this summer, cant we buy 1 right back?? Errikson had 4 weeks 4ffs!

myleftfoot - excellent comment. Surely leaves us to think that Sven is better with player trading than O'Neill. Perhaps Villa should appoint someone else on the Board to do it? What do you think? Could it work with O'Neill identifying the targets and somebody else doing the biz. end of things?

Gordonsleftboot - I suspect Villa's overseas scouting operation is non-existent and O'Neill never seems to go far to see players. The most succesful partnership I can recall was Clough and Taylor at Derby then Notts. Taylor was never at home! I'd put Sid Cowans or Sir Dennis Mort. in charge of this area under O'Neill - two Villa people who can recognise talent when they see it. Who is this "Storey -whats-his-name" anyway?

Tarzan-they can't have Moore just offer them £10mill if O'Neill thinks he can do the job expects. In fact that is the only criteria to consider - 1. can they do the job? and 2. can I buy somebody as good but cheaper . If 1 = yes and 2. = no then pay up.

HuntysVilla - if the players don't want to come they obviously won't come whatever fee you may or may not be prepared to pay. If you're paying top dollar, not necessarily in line with The Top4 but certainly not a lot less then you're in with a chance of attracting the likes of Curtis Davies and some of the better overseas players who want to play in the Prem and compete for European honours. So

The pessimists are guessing, the optimists are guessing. The only one that isn't guessing what he's doing is MON. Let's look at his previous record and see if he has been able to put together quality teams. Oh, guess what? The optimists guesses seem more realistic in light of the few facts we have. While I'm at it, those who said Gardner did O.K. at RB but it's because he wasn't tested are tactically blind. liverpool put two forwards up front and tactically kept them in the middle. Why? tie down the two center backs so help couldn't move to the right. Then Liverpool consistently pushed Riise and at least one other player down their left flank. Why? deliberately target the kid playing out of his "natural" position. What did Liverpool get from all that tactical focus on an attack down their left flank? ZERO ! Gardner was spectacular. He did all that and still managed to push up field at key moments. Maybe MON knew he wasn't as desperate for cover there as the pessimists all assume. In other words maybe a pro with a successful track record knows more than a bunch of pub chatters. I can't say for sure, but if I had to bet on a pro or moaning and complaining amateurs I know where my money will ride.

right on srsmithusa, and a well timed observation. although cover at the back is required no doubt, gardner was quality the other day and shows MON to be not in a panic. unlike most of the fans. by the way, i would love it if we got bosingwa, he is seriously good, whatever the cost!! c'mon the villa!

Itís all very well saying these players arenít worth the valuation but until Villa show their teeth and intention to add a couple more decent signings and spend a little more aggressively I doubt we are going to be seen as much of a threat by teams. Consequently, our stubbornness in the market will be a sign to potential signings that we are not big hitters, or ready to take a risk to step up a level. It seems MON has a few names he wants but getting them doesnít guarantee they will be a success. Iím sure for every player we buy there will be a player bought that wonít make it. So in an ideal world having a wish list of a couple of players is a big gamble. We need to start investing a lot more in the team to show some intention to Clubs around us and to potential players that the backing is there and the ambition to succeed is being matched on and off the field.

This from todays Daily Mirror, keeper Thomas Sorensen has demanded clear-the-air talks with boss Martin O'Neill and may be set to quit the club, Sorensen, who signed from Sunderland in August 2003 for £2.25million, is unhappy Martin O'Neill has signed Liverpool keeper Scott Carson on a season-long loan to be Villa's No.1...................... And I for one can't blame him, would you sit on the bench for a loan keeper, when at the end of te season he's back off to Liverpool, because if Gordon wasn't worth 9 mill then Carson ain't worth 12mill, will someone please explain whats going on down at the Villa, why do we now have 3 keepers, why was our young keeper not on the bench on saturday! any problems with Taylor meant Gardener was in goal, against LIVERPOOL! so if taylor gets injured like cech did in the first few minutes, we spend 80 odd mins with a midfielder in goal! I wonder what would have been said if it had been another manager that pulled this stunt on the 1st day of the season, the 2million+ wasted on Carsons wages would've been better spent, paying a little bit more on another Defender (BOSINGWA) It just dosen't add up, if he was happy not to even put a reserve keeper on the bench against Liverpool WHY sign Carson.

Huntysvilla, yes I am pessimistic because it has been a very poor pre-season. The lack of signings will cost us come the winter and although I'm sure MON knows this, I would like to see him doing something about it and getting players into the squad. As for srsmithusa yes Gardner did do okbut as for the comment regarding two Liverpool players attacking down his side, unless I'm very much mistaken a midfielder always tracked back with one of these players. So however you view it, he was still only against Riise and my point is that although Riise is a good player he is not a wide player who is going to attack the full back. If Gardner continues to play RB then we will see how good he is in that position because we will then have played teams with natural wingers. It seems to me that MON likes Gardner but can't find a place for him in the starting lineup in midfield because he loves Petrov. Consequently he is playing him at RB just to get him in the team.

New article on OS, has MON referring to contract talks with Moore, Mellberg and Sorenson. Stating he will talk to them in the next week or so. Isn't finding new players for our understaffed squad more important than sorting out contracts of players who are under contract until next summer. Get the window out of the way and then do it. Its comments like this that make me wonder about what he is doing. I like the man but sometimes you have to wonder.

Dyer to West Spam...not a bad signing I reckon. If he stays fit, he's a very good player. I'd prefer him to Petrov. I'm trying to stay calm and keep positive but this window has been so hard to take, especially with all the teams around us (and below!) spending big! I'm so frustrated, I could cry!!

I'll tell you this for nothing - I'd swap Petrov for Koumas right now. He's proving he's EPL quality and will be a star buy. We are desperate for defenders and a midfielder now. I say Hoyte, Davies, Matt Taylor and a bid for SWP or Defoe for added firepower and squad rotation.

Ive got to be honest i think Randy's caught ELLISitus,apparently it hangs around the villa boardroom and is vey contagious.It slams wallets shut as soon as they get within 5 miles of brum.Im gutted.I thought someone said we were going for europe ???A couple of key injuries this year and we'll be playing wolves/baggies next season !!!!
For gods sake " SORT IT OUT !!!!!!!!! ".

notthedougellisstand - we think alike on this, I've posted somewhere else on another thread that he's probably had bids for one, two or possibly all of them, hence him seeing them next week, well before the deadline. Otherwise, surely he'd leave it until the squad was sorted for this season. So watch out for "news flashes" of clubs bidding for Moore, Mellberg and Sorenson. Just another problem for us to be concerned about. Oh, what a f****ng mess we're in.

Guys, Guys, Guys... I thought this topic was called "So Who Will Villa Sign?"
not "Why haven't we signed more players"...
I'm as frustrated as the next man by the lack of signings but we gotta trust MON has enough experience of the game to deal in the transfer market.
Here's the players I'd still love to see at Villa Park...
RB - Maicon (played right back for brazil in Copa America Final in place of Alves)
CB - Lucio (Class and composure personified)
Mid - Juan Roman Riquelme (Can win games single handedly with his vision)
Forward - Jermaine Defoe (The guy lives for goals)
Whether MON chooses to take note that's his business. We're backed by a Billionaire and NIKE is our kit sponsor so why not??

NON is guilty of not seizing the moment like so many other times in last 25 years. By not investing in quality players like we should have done after 81' 82' the first Taylor years, the Little era and the Atkinson and Gregory years. I fear we have missed the boat and that we are happy to remain in mid table mediocracy like one Doug Ellis was. Why oh why isn't the cash being splashed. I'd take anyone right now just to get a little excited.

I agree Mr Fear. Totally fed up at a missed opportunity. Always thought this was a 'seize the moment' opportunity. We didn't seize anything and are left hanging onto a dream. Getting resigned to another go nowhere season. What a farce. Plus I see that the CEO comments about significant signings are now being dismissed as his personal views!! Harmony is disappearing faster than hair spray out of a can.

15 days left and still not even a glimer. I think we are owed answers on why we have been so quiet after being promised significant player acquisitions and aims of getting back into europe. With no new signings that can make a difference (I say that in case we panic buy some squad fillers) then what hope do we have of pushing on. . . looking further ahead it makes attracting players in the future harder if we are not a club with big names or a high finish. . . there must be more going on that we dont know because surely its not just MON trying to get 'value' ....Mr Fear, what can we do?

gjvilla - I do not have the blind faith in O'Neill as you. If players and or clubs are consistently refusing us, why can't he tell us the reasons why? Is that difficult? We're being treated like little school children. As far as I'm concerned, Aston Villa belongs to the local communuty and its tens of thousands of supporters and I'm sure Randy Lerner understand this. We therefore have a right to know why we are in this position after broken promisses on "top-name" signings. As every day goes by, I feel more and more that we're being "taken for a ride". A net spend of less than £5 mill. since June, 11 players gone and 2 weeks to go before the deadline. I cannot see any other explanation than Randy Lerner has instructed O'Neill to reduce the squad size to cut the wages bill, What other logical conclusion are we expected to have?

By now Villa must be the laughing stock of the Premiere league, we are all mouth and no trousera. If we do not get three or four significant signings in the next two weeks we will be struggling with the threat of relegation all season. Every other team in the league has strengthened except us, all we have done is unload some dead wood and replace like with like. If as MON says the players he needs are available then he should buy them, now. No more excuses spend the money or tell us categorically that it is not there to spend.
Have you noticed how quiet the General and allo the others have been in the last two months, where id the liaison with the fans now?

ric112 - good to believe that mate but ain`t gonna happen,1 more panic buy i`m afraid and it will be a RB.( God knows who but we`ll pay twice his value ) MON is clueless,he needs help from CEO on signings in the Prem but he`s out of his depth aswell in this field.

We're on MON's back for not buying players, when the opportunity is still there to buy - so I would say to everyone lay off him until the window closes. I am as surprised as everyone as to the lack of activity, but these are not stupid guys we are talking about here - THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT RUNNING A FOOTBALL CLUB THAN WE DO. There must be reasons for the lack of signings so far, and I hope these come to light in due course. For the other punters on here having a go at MON in terms of the actual performance of the first team, again - give them a chance FFS. If we get a couple of injuries and are left wanting in the first team, and results are poor - then is the time to start having a pop. At the moment, MON knows he is short of bodies, is trying to get them in, and in the meantime obviously believes he can put out a very decent first team. RB is our weakest position by far, and yet we've still got Olly and Gardner who can do a job there. Get a grip people.

Well said YatesyV. injuries will be the tester, we can have a go at MON if were 16th/17th/18th...... by christmas due to lack of numbers, and we can all say on here we told you so. the loss of over 10 players and the signing of only 1 quality player + Marlon, worries me. i've got my fingers crossed that MON pulls a Carew out of the hat in the final hour..... here's somthing that has been playing on my mind, if we win all our games until the transfer window closes will MON feel he doesn't need to strengthen as much as we would like?? would this be a false position?? or would we be better off not winning our first 3 games so MON is pushed in to getting Randy's wallet out? i would prefer to win but still spend, but I'm not sure if MON would.

Are we really saying 'say nothing until it falls apart, then complain?' Sounds a strange strategy to me. Almost whatever happens now, Villa will be weaker than most of us expected. Just look at clubs like Everton - supposedly hard up yet they have added to a strongish squad with several good buys - plus rumours of Yakubo. How do our dealings compare to them?

heard and seen a few people talking about oneill in the newcastle press conference that he is close to bringing in another two players and conceeded that he has payed over the odds for them, can anyone at home confirm on ssn????

Nothing has been said on SSN but I have just watched the press conference. He said there are a few things in the pipeline and hopes they will be in by the end of the window. Still very cagy but did conceed he will pay over the odds if required. He said some discussions have been going on all summer. I don't think anyone ese will arrive until the end of next week.

>>>>So you think our squad will cope with half a season then Koolbill ? notthedougellisstand<<<< Sorry bud, not being sarcastic but I don't understand the question. I do however believe that we are in a mess if we don't stock up BIG TIME. We would be decimated after half the season. It's lucky Martin got CARSON in with our keepers being injured though. Looking forward to 3 defenders soon and possibly a surprise at 23:59 on the last transfer day.

Looks like Yak is off to Everton! It's signings like this that really concern me. The fee is believed to be around £10 mill. I appreciate this is alot of money, but he is a proven Prem player who will get between 15-20 goals. Compare him to our purchase Marlon Harewood...yeah, I feel sick too! Other players that have moved to teams in and around us, that IMO would make us contenters for Europe are as follows...Gordon, Young, Baines, Dyer, Smith, Viduka, Koumas, Geremi, Fernandes....why haven't we signed them?? They are all proven players who would increase competition in the squad. I am really wondering who is left to buy? Porto lad? Matty Taylor (being linked with Spurs now!) Davies (being linked with Spurs!) Gudjohnson (won't pay his wages!) I really am worried...anyone with me??

Not even slightly worried, all will be fine. Gordon is not proven, Young is very average, Baines is good, Dyer is always injured and has a bad attitude, Smith would not really add that much not a natural goalscorer, Viduka OK would have been good, Koumas not proven in prem, Geremi not sure, fernandes looks good. Only 2 bankers there really.

WBA are trying to force Villa's hand with the Luke Moore deal for Davies and cash i reckon. If Luke Moore has only 11 months on his contract plus has activated an appearance clause - I think he may well be looking for pastures new.

If Moore plus cash is required to get Davies, i say FFS MON just do it. preference would be to offer the asking price and keep Moore and give him a run in the team.
OAL has most certainly come down to earth with a big bump.... although by Saturday we could be looking at two deafeats ourselves (although Liverpool was expected)

If Villa had played Sunderland and Everton both home and away respectively i would be very dissapointed with 0 points, but Liverpool Home and Newcastle away 0 points would be a slightly different story IMO.

Barry is in the England squad...should give him a nice boost for tomorrow! I must admit I used to be one of Barry's knockers (slow etc) but the boy has come on leaps and bounds in the last two seasons! He would IMHO step into any of the teams in the Prem without fail and not look out of place...and I mean any team!

well IMO two defeats that don't include the names Chelsea & Man U, would be a let down, and if one of those games was at home, I would expect a point, to lose at home to liverpool is poor to lose away at newcastle is poor, overall poor is what we were at home last week and I see no change this weekend. without new signings I see us in the bottom 5 after 4 games, I hope I'm wrong

Sadly the latest reported interview from MON is still spouting his own personal form of gobbledygook saying "we may be buying a couple of players, but then again maybe we won't, because there may be issues that prevent it happening, but then again we may not get them because circumstances change. Nevertheless he does understand how the fans feel."
At least I think that is what he is saying but then again he may be saying something different, but I'm not sure. Still we now have only two weeks of agony waiting for the magical announcements and then, unless something dramatic happens, months of angst as we languish around the relegation zone with no recognised defenders on the pitch. Cheer up it will soon be over.

We WILL sign at the very least 4 players. I know trust me, i know how all the fans are feeling right now - we are looking for the right quality and good things come to those that wait - patience is a virtue. While everybody is losing there heads around you if you keep yours you will be a better man for it. MON has my total and complete trust along with the board that this will work out right.

Going back to the statement about we would'nt be forced into paying over the odds for players,is'nt it the same for all premiership teams ? They have brought players in ?? Sorry , im lost , i thought we were better of this year than last financially ? Plus , what has happend to the money from the sales ?

If Moore is offloaded - then will really have MON has lost it. This guy is the best finisher we have and yet he doesn't get a chance. Like the Davis/Petrov scenario. Totally perplexing. What concerns me most at the moment is how poor Villa played last week. I can see carnage if we play like that again at the Toon. It was truely awful long ball *****e

Links with Giles Barnes, Glen Johnson and Curtis Davies - that would be jobsagoodun for the year!!! Loving that!! Unfortunatly Luke Moore may be a makeweight for Derby or WBA - just hope that doesnt happen - I would doubt it cos he has been given the Number 8 shirt and has been told he is in MON's plans!!!

KSarge1 - i hope you're right and that we do get the 4 quality players that you believe will be signed in the next 14 days. It will be a miracle if we do but from time-to-time it's great to believe in miracles. It's like wishing for a white christmas and the sound of sleigh bells over the roof tops.

I won't be surprised to see Luke Moore go to WBA in the Davies deal. Davies will accept Villa's terms as Albion pay less, so he will fit in Villa's mediocre pay structure. No doubt Davies would prefer Spurs both for pay and glory but they won't pay the £10mill transfer fee. Our offer will be £6mill + Moore, then £3mill for Sorenson to Man City. So 2 more out and 1 in?

bosingwa hoyte davies rosenior hangelande; buy all of them! very disappointed if Moore goes. who replaces him? maybe west brom would like petrov instead, then maloney would get a game! gardner goes into midfield, and we have the choices above for rb. yeeeah!!

cant believe he'd let moore go, that is just head bending. As for rosenior hes been told he can leave Fulham because the defensive bar has been raised and hes not good enough for them. Not very encouraging at all.

i dont want that, but if we are to get davies ahead of Spurs then this may be the only option. I suppose if we get Davies then spurs may not be up for the deal, one thing for sure though i would much prefer Defoe than Luke Moore. I just hope he signs a contract - he has activated an appearance clause which is worrying.

Well, here we are, another week gone and no new players we now have ten working days to to the close of the window. At the rate MON seems to work we may then get one more player in. Musr admit I like leftfoot's ideas of the five listed above, but somehow I doubt it. Strangely I still think MON is one hell of a manager, but he has gone peculiar during this transfer window. We have to be realistic, if we don't get some of these players in and we get only a couple of injuries in defence we are going to be in serious trouble.
Please MON do what we know you can and bring in some good new players and don't sell Moore, you keep telling us you are building a team not destroying one.

I can see from MONs latest interview regarding players that he is waiting to see what Ollie, Sorryson and Moore say in the contract negotiations. I will stick my neck out and say that once these meetings are sorted then he will splash the cash. He is obiously waiting to get rid of the non-committed or unhappy. I reckon we'll get four faces in the last week of the window....If we don't then expect Stieber to figure heavily this season. Right now I'd take Petrov to the subs bench and bring Maloney on his place. The boy is magic!! My current Villa team would be this line-up: Carson, Bouma, Ollie, Laursen, Barry, Maloney, NRC, Gardner, Young, Carew and Gabs. That's a 4-4-2. Barry would act as a sweeper, Gardner holding the MF with NRC and pushing forward of the wingers attac ks for some nice edge of the box shots. Gabs down the centre behind Carew. Now tell me that isn't a slice of fried gold!!!!! p.s. nobody mention injuries or suspensions okay.

Koolbill - NRC is a Anchor Man - Gareth Barry is too slow at sweeper and plays much better in midfield - he creates a lot. I will be interested in seeing how Carson plays(if in the squad). I would personally go with the following team and formation today:
Carson,Mellburg,Laursen,Bouma,Gardner,NRC,Young,Barry,Carew,Moore 4-4-2 - Moore & Carew up top, but it will be Gabby playing in Moore's place.

I just don't see why we have to be sorting out contracts of players who are already here at this moment. The time would be far better spent obtaining new players for our depleted squad. MON does some very strange things at the most absurd times. Referring to the Moore and £6m swop for Davies. If this were to mean that we are going to sign Yakubu then go for it. Not much older than Moore and a very good goalscorer. However, can't see it happening. Certainly has been a summer of disappointment so far and really can't see it improving.

I see what you're saying about Barry but I believe our defence is weak and we need him near them at the moment, plus he is getting more guileful per game and that takes away his lack of speed factor. Gardner would be just behind Maloney too - swap them at halftime. Agreed with NRC holding but in dead centre MF not in front of backfour...still think Barry could do it. Reason for this is that we were so overrun by Liverscum in MF that I wanted to cry, never want to see that again, it was like when Man U beat us easily with Fletcher and Ronaldo sent off, just awful. Just think, Stieber, Gardner, Osbourne, Young, Maloney....wow that's a good young MF squad especially when Petrov retires.

good point KSarge1, IF it is the player wanting to go, then that is different. Thought he had more than a year left on his contract though, think they are looking at improving it but thought he had a few years left.

nah we did alright. coker was solid, mellberg and laursen awesome as usual. petrov not great as usual, agbonlahor and barry looked surprisingly average. carson did well, great signing. im content with that performance but we gotta take the few chances we get!

No matter what the result you guys slag Petrov, disgraceful. You are meant to be supporters. Great result today considering it was Big Sam's first game, they were coming off a good away win and its an improvement on last season's result. I would have put King Marlon on for the last 10. Rosenior to sign after the Fulham game I reckon.

No problem at all. It's just I feel the majority of the fans are not objective when it comes to certain players, a draw was a good result up there, losing at home last week too. Notice Bolton are doing well with our cast offs! I think Rosenior is in the bag

Guys it is still apparent that despite the promise of Gabby & Moore they are not the answer and both should be on the bench. Carew will not score many goals and we need a proven goalscorer. We will get many more draws because of this.

I can't believe how much negativty there is on here. I hope you all have the humility to come back on after 31/8/07 and say sorry for doubting MON and the board. It's sad to say, but I think that O'leary may have had a point!!!

Eaton, if you mean Afonso Alves we need to get in quick as several papers reckon he is off to Boro.
For me we need 2/3 defenders plus a creative midfielder and a goalscorer as I don't see any of the current strikers scoring more than 10 goals.
At the moment it looks like we will be hard to beat but we will lack the quality to break teams down so too many draws again, unless MON gets the signings in.

If you want creativity in the mid than what about Maloney? It's time we replaced Petrov. It may do Petrov some good to sit on the bench. I do, however, remember one of our Celtic friends saying it was ironic that Maloney left Celtic for Villa because MON always left Maloney on the bench. As to villa not having a regular goal scorer - I'd stake may house on Moore scoring way more than ten if he was to start alongside Carew instead of Gabby. IMHO

PS. Whay is everyone hung up on Curtis Davis? Not really proven in the EPL and the price they are asking is a sick joke. If we got cover for the left back and a rb then Bouma could provide cover for the cb.

agree with myleftfoot; moore should be starting. davies deal should be forgotten. partly because it may involve Moore, but too much money for him anyway. Rosenior far better than Hughes despite what Fulham think of him. and with him and Bosingwa (still hopeful), the RB position is sorted. petrov is not creating anything. MON obviously has his favourites and there is not much we can do about that, but i would have thought modern football is about having flexibility without the intent of offending players if they are given a rest.

erm...it seems like dannygav didn't actually watch the game. either that or dannygav watched the game and is retarded. I stated a blatant fact. Nothing can disguise the FACT that petrov disappointed. If you are attributing the word fickle to me, i suggest you check my comments, then check a dictionary. i would sincerely love to be your mate dannygav, i bet you are a fascinating person.

Quick question ric112? How can it be a FACT that Petrov disappointed, surely that is your opinon the same as mine is that the match yesterday was the best performance he's put in since his debut. Good forward running; creating space; and teaming up well with Reo-Coker.

ric112 - your comment to Dannygav (.....and is retarded) is totally out of order. Just because you can't impose your views on other fans there is no need to make it personal and if it continues I will ask The Fear to ban you off this site. We are all Villa fans even though we don't always agree.

Petrov's performance was OK one of his better ones, he worked really hard defensively. Shame his confidence is a bit low as the was a good chance towards the end. I have to say we played Toon completely off the park yesterday.

petrov had a decent game - made some defensive clearances and linked up ok with coker. i would have liked the team to use young more than what they did as he just caused so many problems. hey all it was a decent performance. just need to put it in the net now! Rickymeister sorry fella i did mean Afonso Alves. maybe we can hijack some transfers as yakubu has said that he is happy at boro? could be worth a cheeky bid? well soon as we get a RB in, gardner can return to midfield so in effect its like signing 2 players lol

Anyone think Silvestre from utd would be worth a punt? he is actually a center half and can cover for Bouma? just athought. We played well as a team yesterday and have to admit Nigel was a massive presence along side Barry in the middle. Think we should go for Matty taylor or Downing(both English) and bring in rosenior and hoyte(again English) move Gardiner up to the right wing and let petrov fight it out with barry and reo for the middle.Upfront buy Anelka or Yakubu.Ok so its going to be the guts of 40 mill for th lot but that investment would place the team in a position to challenge anyone!

I think it is evident that we do need another forward as we are not going to score enough goals again. I do think that Young should be playing right midfield as he did in the second half. Can attack the fullback out wide and looks much better. I just hope we get some new players in before the end of the window

notthedougellisstand - I agree, we still seem to struggle to score goals. Gabby's got blistering pace but that's all I'm afraid. He would be a world beater if could think a few seconds ahead. Personnaly I think Young is a brilliant wide player, right or left - get to the bye-line and get players into the six yard area - t'will be a goal nearly every time!

Angel would have gone good with young sk1nner , i think you are right you know ? hmmm. Thought laursen looked good , he always dose when he plays a more physical game. Reo and barry good . Carew looked good when he got service . Gabby looked strong (but why did'nt he square it ?????????). Petrov got stuck in . I like luke , he's got more to come . 12 months time and he'll be that bit stronger and i think he'll decimate . In the mean time we do need a proven goal getter . Shame MON could'nt have persuaded Henrik Larson eh?? He would be great with yound and gabby .

comes to something when there aren't even any links so we have to pick the players ourselves! lol. I'd love Anelka at Villa, he might be a sulky journeyman, but he is also top drawer quality. At the moment I don't think we have a 15 goal a season striker, let alone a 20 goal one!

funny how football works isnt it, Gerrard wins a freekick at villa park after Petrov wins the ball clearly, and scores a brilliant goal, but it was never a freekick in a million years. And then yesterday L'Pool conceed a penalty, and it was never a penalty, and Lampard scores. Then blame the Clelsea players for crowding the referee and influencing decisions, again werent they doing that all afternoon at villa park? In my opinion they got everything they deserved yesterday. I love it when the shoe is on the other foot.

Stig, I was going to post the very same. Tom Jones Benitez should think back, certain managers are terrible for this (Allardyce springs to mind), it really gets on my wick - luck should even itself out over the season (unless you are Ridgewell). In fairness though, these post match interviews are ridiculous, you can't expect anything rational a few minutes after a pulsating game. Davies is holding out for a Spurs move, I'd steer well clear at that price. Rosenior seems a good bet, what about Hoyte - that rumour has disappeared.

Saw Angel at the weekend on TV. He's looking sharper than he ever did at the Villa. Nevermind, back on topic.....that herald of truth - Tribalfootball - is saying we're watching Glen Johnson @ Chelsea. Interesting. Especially if Alves signs for them. No way £15m for Davies, he's a defender in the Championship....

look at the positives, at least we don't have to watch Jloyd Samuel on the pitch like those poor Bolton fans. I quote: "Can you hear the giggling? It comes from Aston Villa fans, still joyful that they`ve offloaded a comedy left-back." !!!!!Have a look at the following for the complete article - hilarious!http://www.bolton.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=79469

Well, ten working days to go and while there are rumours and tattle linking players with other clubs not a peep where Villa are concerned. As JF says it really comes to something when we have to invent our own links. Can we realistically expect that we can go through a whole season without some serious injuries and/or suspensions? Gardner has two yellows to his name already and sods law being what sods law is he will be suspended when Laursen is injured etc etc. Regardless of how well we have played in the last two games and we did deserve to win on Saturday, we still have not got the team strength we need. Please MON do something, anything, there are still good players available, Hoyte, Rosenior, Bosingwa, Johnson etc, we need them now

Eltoro, Laursen was actually £3m from AC Milan. He only cost this much because he had been injured for his last season at Milan. If we have offered £8m for Davies and the Baggies don't accept then we must move on to someone else, because although I feel he is a good player and will only get better he is not worth anymore. Moving away from the subject a little but with the current prices, just imagine how much God would cost ? Finest player I have ever seen in a Villa shirt, he was and would be priceless. Ooh Aah Paul McGrath

nothedougellisstand, thanks for that m8, you've made look a complete novice! I knew it was AC not to sure why I put Inter, still thought it was 3.5, so 3 mill even better value, and I'll be watching your posts in the future lol.

Now I know thing are up the 5hit at Villa. Just received my shirt order - I did it online Villa shop you see guess what - I am now the owner of a West Ham Shirt. How the hell did I receive a 'ammers shirt!! ffs. One extremely *****ed off supporter.

thats a free shirt for you myleftfoot, and by that I mean a villa one, don't let them get away with it, tell them it was a birthday present, and when you opened it on your birthday it was a WHU shirt which spoilt your whole day!

Are you sure it isn't cos you asked for an XL shirt mlf? This cannot happen surely, as both clubs have different kit manufacturers and why on earth would villa direct stock west ham shirts !!!! *********?

fatloser - All shirts come from the same distributor - Football Direct in Manchester.
I'd forgotten about the internationals - whats the betting that we get an injury or two to add to Carew. Nows there planning for you.

my names for this week include; Hatem Trabelsi, Glen Johnson, Petric Panasen, Thomas Kahlberg and Hangeland. i still believe the best acquisition would be Bosingwa and apparently we are still very keen despite rumours of 12mil. also heard something about Defoe again, we need a poacher, and he is one. up the positive villa!!

I see that Riquelme is being linked with Spurs as he is out of favour at Villareal. He would be a fantastic signing to play alongside Reo-Coker. It would enable Barry to go back to playing left midfield, his best position is my opinion and also Young could then play right midfield. If Spurs do want him then we probably won't get him but don't see the harm in trying. It woiuld show some ambition on the part of the club. However, 2 x RB is a much more pressing need.

we're going to get all our targets in the next nine days, so says newsnow, jesus if thats true we'll have more players than when barry fry was in charge of the blue noses, how many did they have it was around 48-52, he couldn't stop buying that guy!

Sources say the 15 mill quoted for Davies wasn't true and Villa will re-enter talks for him as well as Boswinga. O'neill states he ain't in a rush and the targets he idenified are still worth persuing. mmmmmmm..............................

Just remember you heard it here first !!
First of the 4 he promised all along. Sometimes you have to hold your nerve and your patience. Personally, I havent got that many qualms over those he suupposedly "missed out" on with the possible exception of Martin Petrov.

We're linked with Metzabanana, or whatever, the Bremmen CB. How does that link in with Davies, although I believe Davies can play RB. Also Olly has said in order to play Euro footy he could be off at the end of year. Interesting.

just checked the news now for the spuds - no news on davies for them. their headlines are about jol and ramos *sob* lol - so maybe the davies rumour could be true? ill believe it when he signs a contract for us.

I'm very drunk. I love villa. We are awesome. Come on MArtin. We need some players. Let's beat Blues. Yes. Just et some players. We need them. I think we needs ome defenders, some midfielders and maybe some forwards. So not much eh. haha ..the best thing about being a villa fan is you get used to tthe promise ofglory eh? But we never EVR GIVE UP. UP THE VILLA. MCGrath and Teale. YES and barrett the gluem an. why is yuakubu not comin g to voilla? COME ON?"! COME ON. In fairnness we have to be realsitic, we cant be in eurrpe straight awayh. I think we expect too much from villa allt he time. The Villa disease.....I am 30 and had a Villa tatoo when I was 18 on my arm - a big badge - and I tell you this much, I never eever ever regreetted it. Not once. I lov ehte VILLA!

I dont really see the big point really I mean when my mother is out with her friends they dont know which train to get on because there all too drunk apart from my mother so its kinda stupid when they need to get back home.

another week and another blister but no news. Another week of "I can't believe how expensive the transfer market is and how difficult it is to buy players but we will get the numbers required" talk. NO ACTION. I still think we need another five players - is this possible in the last week?

I tell you one thing, DOL wouldn't have been shy in the transfer market, and barring a few duffers he did a good job at Leeds. Martin GET IT TOGETHER. YOU ARE ANNOYING US WITH YOUR "I'm not paying that much" attitude. GET A MOVE ON.

A point slightly off subject. But I got lampooned pre-season on this this and other threads for saying Everton were quality and went about thier business in a professional manner. Our fans were saying "why would X join Everton? they're rubbish and have no money". Well they have certainly attracted three players I'd liked to have seen a VP (Baines, Jagielka and Yakubu).

anyone else think that MON should have said something earlier about not wanting to let davis go? i mean, i don't remember anything, and i was really upset about the sale. All i could do was think it was partly down to MON. Now i realise there was not much he could do, i think its fair enough on his part, but MON kicked himself in the foot by not saying why he left at the time...

im from ni,and seen davies play against leichtniestien,great wee player...would have been more than enuff to take on petrovs role,cuz hes obviousley not up to the job...would love him to prove me wrong...but cant c it....sellin our ex player of the year,was obviously a big mistake...just hope it doesent come back to haunt us 4 the next match!

myleftfoot! Idon't know how you can say Baines is average, I certainly was hoping we would sign him. Yakuba will get any top 10 team 10-15 goals, if you think you could do without that kind of fire power. Good luck to you!

this is it fellas - the week of truth - hope MON is busy on this bank holiday. pay for davis or metsacker or what ever his name is. get defoe in and a RB. midfielder aswell if we can push for one. PLEASE LET IT BE THIS WEEK. PLEASE. signed - desperate villa fan

My best mate is a Spurs fan and he has told me that it is very likely that Defoe will join (price could be anything between £9m and £15m) but it will not happen until 11.59 on Aug 31st as Spurs need to be sure that Berbatov will not be subject to a £30m-plus bid leaving them with only Bent and Keane. Apparently Reo-Coker has been instrumental in encoraging him and 'selling' the club to him. Also heard another few rumors (internet rumours mind) that Meterserker will only consider joining if Werder Bremen do not qualify for Champs League - they play Dinamo Zagreb this week - COME ON ZAGREB!!! Other than that Glen Johnson and Curtis Davies to be tied up and Boswinga if the price is lowered. There has been talk of Davies and Gera in a double deal worth £12m if Maloney moves back up north - and that is why the Davies deal has not been completed (but now Maloney is staying he may be signed today to make debut v Wrexham). So realistically we can hope for Davies, Johnson and Defoe. Couple that with Carson, Harewood and Reo-Coker and I must congratulate (sarcasitcally) our scouts who must have been searching far and wide throughout Europe and the Rest of the World to recommend 5 Premiership players and 1 from the Championship!!! Well Done!!!

i really want to be surprised on saturday morning. the rumour of Glen Johnson is underwhelming, he is adequate cover, but certainly not a 'top' signing. Defoe and Davies would be great, we need a goal poacher and i can imagine both these guys fitting in well. saw a thread to Miguel of valencia, roma wanted him but got someone from real madrid, apparently they were our competition. i'd still like to see Bosingwa here, he is really the bomb at right back - attacking and smooth, he is the surprise i want!!

This is the most important week of my life! (But don't tell the other half! ;-)
Davis, Johnston, Defoe........ to be honest i don't care as long as we sign at least four players. does anybody know how bad Bouma injury is? we now need a LB, RB ASAP.... FFS MON Just do it!

Could be..Guardian and Sun both carrying the story....now, in who will villa sign part 3, I did say "and....not forgetting.....Zat Knight...with Davis going the other way...".......not one to blow my own trumpet, but GET ME! :-)

Why can't we go for sides top players? Everton in for Nolan, someone else in for Shorey. We go for players who are back up for relegation threatened sides. How is this taking us on? Our top players will see this as a signal of intent and get fed up.

these are bad times for us, knight looks to be on his way here, which i can only see as a panic buy, we are not moving forward, I've just seen on aston villa blog that someone's questioning us signing defoe, saying why do we need another striker! we need one because the ones we have now couldn't it a cows arse with a banjo!

You lads will all be loving Zat Knight by the end of the season. You'll probably not even notice Olly leaving by the back door. ridgewell (yes no capital R) can't hold a candle to Knight. I've never understood the fascination with him. He's a shocking defender. He has terrible timing (how many penalties?!). He is useless in the air, and sprays the ball around willy-nilly like Rambo. I'm delighted he's at the Blues. Knight is more than capable of going on to be a great player at Villa. Just give him a chance....

So if Knight is that good, how come none of the decent sides have ever had a sniff around him? I actuallythought for once we really had the opportunity to buy a player who may improve the first team, as well as the squad - someone like Davies who has been admired by a lot of shrewd managers, e.g. linked with Chelsea a while back, Arsene known to be a fan, etc. Where does Knight fit into that picture?

"So if Knight is that good, how come none of the decent sides have ever had a sniff around him? " - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ashley Young anyone? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Just because Man U and Chelsea haven't gone for him doesn't mean he's no good? In fact, if all the top managers are linked with a player, then decide not to buy him, what does that tell you?????? - - - - - - - on another note, I'm excited about all the news, but still no RB?

Tottenham (i'm calssifying them as a 'top club') were in for Young evo - and I think only the price tag scared them off at the time. So I wouldn't put Young in the same bracket as Zat Knight. Presume MON knows what he is doing, but yet again (like the Harewood signing) it's not the definition of "Quality" that I was expecting to see. Hope it's just paper talk.

I can't believe people are slagging of Knight and he aint even signed yet. we aint going to get the big names yet. look at some of the links at the start of the transfer window! Snjeider for one! these players want european footy. we as fans know this is a great club but the top players will need convincing. lets face it we havent won anything (Major) for some years. all players like Snjeider will look at is NO Champions league not the fact that we won the european cup 25 years ago. MON needs to get us consistantly finishing in the top 6 before we start getting noticed. i was disapointed when Harewood signed but i'm going to back him but i personally rate Knight. at the end of the day we need numbers as i must admit MON has managed this transfer window poorly and has left our squad thread bare.
UTV

I must admit I was hoping for better signings and this sums it up! Is Knight better than Ridgewell...I don't think so?! Is Harewood better than Angel...I don't think so?! We are on option 3 of MON targets and I think this is down to him not willing to pay the money or even more worrying that Randy has got as much money as we think. £40 mill was touted round when the transfer window opened, no way will we get near that figure! Very pi$$ed off!

I'm just really really frustrated and feel a little let down. Maybe I set my sights too high, but I still think we could have got better players in, than what we have or look like getting. What about a left back, now Bouma's injured? I would love Taylor, but there is no way we will pay for him and that's what's frustrates me....we should be in for players like him and Defoe to take us to the next level, not more average Prem players like Knight and Harewood. No one on this board can say that they don't feel slightly let down by what has/is happening. Especially after what MON, The General and CEO have said.

Zat Knight is far superiour to Liam Ridgewell, in my opinion LR was one of the worst defenders I have ever seen down Villa Park in a Villa shirt. Too much messing on the ball, Bad distribution and no where near enough pace for the premier league. What planet are some people on?

Knight is a solid defender and is much better than Ridgewell. People seem to look at some of our former youth players with rose-tinted glasses. Ridgewell made far to many mistakes and I was always worried when a forward ran at him. Hopefully Knight will be the first of four or five players this week. Just a comment regarding the Defoe link. It was obvious on Saturday that we need another forward. Carew leads the line well but is not going to score more than 15 goals. Defoe would be a great addition but with Solskjaer retiring I think Man U will go for him.

NTDES - great post. You are right with respect to Defoe, Fergies been a fan for a while. But as magic Merse once said "Teams just don't sell goal scorers", too true. I'd maybe take a punt on a finisher from the lower leagues.

Not sure about a nippy striker Tarzan, more a sh itty striker if truth be known! With defoe, he has just one year left on his contract, the spurs board won't want to lose him like they did Campbell, so it is sign or sell surely?

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